


Ghosts

by chimeraa



Category: One Piece
Genre: Comfort, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24216940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chimeraa/pseuds/chimeraa
Summary: Trafalgar Law is relearning what love is supposed to be, how it acts and what it looks like. Trauma is a hard thing to overcome alone, and Luffy seems like the right man for the job in helping with that recovery process.
Relationships: Monkey D. Luffy/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Comments: 7
Kudos: 58





	Ghosts

Love was not kind. It was not a lasting emotion; something warm and fuzzy; something to leave a man weak in the knees or breathless with a word or a touch. Love was something to be lost. Love was dark and cold. It was a repeating pattern that glared back as you did up at it, a ceiling that seemed so far away - so cold. A repetitive, painful movement both physically and emotionally. Love was no gentle, love was not kind, love was not lasting. For the longest time, Law considered himself lucky to avoid it. It had shown itself in a most hideous form. Now it was gradually reappearing in all the places he hadn’t expected. It shone in a smile, or a spark in someone’s eye. It was sunlight finally showing itself after a storm, something that was commonly dismissed. 

The small smile that was greeting him then was sitting patiently, cozy in the bundle of blankets that covered his mattress. The room was dark, but not menacingly so. A submarine can only provide so much light in the nighttime, and underwater, that was little to none. Even so, he could see well enough to find his way around. 

The door to the compact bedroom sealed itself quietly, leaving the noises from the engine and Law’s muttering crew members in the distance. 

"Cozy in here. I didn't think you'd have this much space to yourself." said the smile. 

The comment was made in passing, then Luffy shifted to the other side of the bed to leave the older captain room. The Sunny’s sleeping arrangements were far more crowded; bunks were stacked, suspended above and beside one another to accommodate the slowly growing crew. There was plenty enough room in one bed for one person, but only one. All the space Law saved for himself was the entire mattress until he could make Luffy move, which he had slowly. 

Law turned towards the voice and batted his eyes for a moment, allowing them to adjust to the darkness. The hallways had been illuminated, and now there was not a single light in the room. Even his bed, the largest thing before him, was hard to make out. After a moment, the captain shuffled towards the voice. It was almost distant and gentle, as if the words were not meant for him. He wouldn't be surprised. Luffy was often left talking to himself when his counterpart was occupied, and oftentimes Law would feel bad once all was said and done, and make an attempt to continue the conversation. Unfortunately, he could never remember what he had said. 

In moments like these, however, there was no reason not to listen. It would be just the two of them for a while.

"I made it a point," Law finally said. "I don't like being crowded."

The strawhat finally looked at him, eyes adjusted to the darkness at last, and the other captain stared back. One smiled, and the other tried to. In a silence that was momentarily suspended, Law moved his hands to remove the long coat from his shoulders and allowed it to fall to the floor. Whether it was intended or not, Luffy felt his face heat up. He shifted from under the blanket and held out his arms, beaming and waiting anxiously for the other to settle down. 

"Will you let me crowd you for just a little bit? I'll let go if you want me to." Luffy’s request was always accompanied with laughter. He was nervous as he would always be, as was Law. One had only become very good at hiding it. 

Law smiled back, that small, thin smile that seemed to be the only one he could muster. He settled into the mattress, only to shift his weight into the other captain. There was a warmth that was immediately shared. It was relaxing and welcomed as the night grew colder under the sea. Luffy's fingers laced together at his back as Law's settled into the soft fabric of the bed sheets. The captain sighed through his nose and met the other's lips just as the strawhat's smile was beginning to fade. 

"Just for a little bit."

Luffy's smile returned and stretched ear to ear as color rushed back to his cheeks. It rose from what was now a furnace in his chest that caught his breath in his throat and turned him stiff at the same time he almost melted. The room was suddenly warmer than it had been, and the blankets he had welcomed so quickly were now only getting in the way. His grip tightened a little bit, but his hands remained laced in each other for the time being. 

Law adjusted his posture, moving his legs to be under him rather than stretched away from himself. The rest of him compensated, and now he sat slightly higher than Luffy. His hands held Luffy's face gently, keeping his lips somehow in range of his own as they both grew comfortable again. Law could feel the tension leave the smaller captain's body, and he hoped it was a good sign. He tried his best to force his own to relax, but his mind was claiming the stakes were still too high to be left vulnerable. So Law's posture remained rigid and he refused to let go of Luffy for the time being, and despite the shaking in his hands, it seemed Luffy wasn't moving any time soon either. 

"Why are you shaking?" Law hissed. His voice was stronger than he anticipated, breaking the silence almost violently.

The strawhat opened his eyes and stared up at his partner, taking a second to remember that there was a world around him; it was strange to hear a voice besides his own echoing in his head. His hands loosened their grip and moved simply to rest on his back. He was positive that when he spoke, he'd lose his voice. It'd either crack or simply become air. 

Luffy swallowed. "I'm not-I don't know what you're talking about."

Law smiled again, the expression feeling almost out of place this time. His heart was racing, and yet his hands were steady and breathing came easy. Law's complexion was the same as it had always been, no rush of color. His eyes were steely as ever, but his mind was far from still. It was matching the pace of heart, faster and faster. It filtered through all the scenarios that this moment could lead to, and with each idea, there was a pounding in his chest. As his heart struggled to keep up with the pace of racing thoughts, Law felt a hand on him, somewhere other than where he was sure Luffy had allowed his own to rest. Then another, and another. 

_This is a bad idea, Law._

Maybe. Maybe not. He would never know if he didn't try. Law knew he was fond of Luffy, and that taking action like this was almost expected of him, yet he wanted to feel like it wasn't. It was a barrier he had been trying to break for months, and this night was just another night of trying to break down those walls. It usually never worked. 

Another phantom hand greeted him, taking him by the throat. Law struggled not to recoil at something neither of them could see, and something only he could feel. 

"You're such a bad liar. You have nothing to worry about." His voice was out of place once again. Law’s mind begged for silence, yet there was hardly a sound in the room. 

_Then shut up,_ he begged back. 

"I know." Luffy replied, further disturbing the silence the other unknowingly begged for. He moved a hand to the back of Law's head and let his fingers run through the mess of dark hair. "I trust you." 

Luffy kissed him again and closed his eyes. He relaxed and let the weight of himself sink into the plush fabric. His head rested in Law's hands, his arms wrapped around the other. It was the second time Luffy relaxed, and the older captain tried to follow suit. He was in an invisible struggle with his reflexes, wanting to relax when his brain was trying to ensure his safety. Vulnerability was a death sentence at sea, especially in a room, alone, with another person who was trying to drop your guard. 

_This is a bad idea, Law._

_Shut up._

Law grumbled internally, making a face Luffy wouldn't see and couldn't catch in time. There was no part of the Straw hat's captain that was vaguely threatening, certainly not to someone like him. He was inviting, even. He held out his arms and put his heart on his sleeve without the surgeon needing to pry it out of his chest. This was something he wanted, and something Law wanted to want. But his mind and body continued to pull him out of the moment, even as he clawed his way back in. 

Law sighed again, leaning forward enough to force Luffy to bend backwards. "Lie down," he said. His voice was softer this time, not so startling as before.

Luffy did as he was asked, taking a second only to get comfortable. He barely pulled away from the other, one hand stayed wound in Law's messy head of hair while the other stayed around his back.

Luffy had people lie against him before, but usually the context pertained to sleeping and he had been the next best thing to a pillow. Nami or Chopper might rest on his shoulder; he might have put an arm around Zoro through one of his many naps to keep him from falling over. Being close to people was no conflict for him. But the context was entirely different. So many emotions clogged his chest that breathing became a voluntary process. The high that Law's lips and hands created was a feeling he wanted to hold onto for a while.

The pair settled down gently, comfortably, and carefully. Both were just as awkward as they had anticipated, and learning just as slowly. Law pulled away for a moment to take in his surroundings, his proximity to everything. With his mind racing and his heart pounding, keeping his eyes closed was one of the hardest things. Law looked at Luffy, then looked to his right, then his left. It was too dark to see anything, and nothing had changed. Law could not see the threat his mind was detecting. 

_So shut up._

Luffy ran a hand through his hair, startling the older captain only slightly. After another bit of tension left his body, Law forced himself to settle down. It was hot being pressed against another person for so long, but he refused to allow that to be another distraction, another excuse not to pay attention. He cradled Luffy's head gently in one hand, holding himself up partially with the other. His kisses were so sweet and so supple that the high that seemed to force Luffy into a trance was rubbing off on him. Law felt a heat surge in his chest and a flutter in his gut that almost winded him.

The phantom hands that he felt were hard to shake, but that rush of heat and energy seemed to be more than what the ghosts could handle. They released him as he parted his lips to breathe. The room stood silent, the most silent it had ever been, as if a barrier had been put around them, or that the world had ceased to exist. For the first time, the surgeon’s mind was blank. As Luffy put his hands on him, tracing the tattoos he adorned himself with, or messing up his already messy hair, he wasn’t afraid of it. As he had begged it to, Law’s racing thoughts had shut themselves down, and he was allowed to feel the moment the way he had wanted to. 

So this is it. This is what love is. 

For a moment, Law opened his eyes, but only slightly and tried to look at the smaller captain. He dared his thoughts to frighten him again, he dared the ghosts to put their hands on him again, he dared the pain in his gut to come back full force. Law dared all his reflexes to convince him that this was a bad idea. All these forces seemed to recoil at his challenge, glaring back at him from their dark corners to which they had been banished. They would stay there as long as he could help it. They wouldn’t force him to associate something with a man who had never known about it. 

A rush of emotion reminded him to breathe again, and he did. He pulled away from Luffy for a moment, taking in the cold air around him. It was refreshing for the first time. Law sat up almost fully, taking in the room around him once more, but only for a moment. He didn’t want to catch the eye of the ghost that he had sent away. His eyes fell back to Luffy rather quickly, and he settled back down to share the warmth they had created before. There was no tension to battle this time. He took the other into his arms and laid his sleepy head on his shoulder. 

“Luffy,” Law croaked. His tone threatened to break with the lack of use. 

“Hm?”

“I think I love you.” 

The moment the phrase left him, he felt a relief come over him. He relaxed, and he watched Luffy’s chest swell with a sigh that could only be assumed to come from the same feeling of relief. 

“Oh,” the strawhat tried to laugh again. “That’s a relief.” 

“I thought I did before, and I never said anything, but I know now. I do. I love you.” Law saw the other’s lips part to reply, but his own nervousness and need to explain nearly forced him to talk over the other captain. Luffy didn’t seem to mind. He listened with bright eyes and a closed, but wide, smile. “I hadn’t really understood what that high was that you talked about before, I’d just never felt it. And then I did, and my first thought was ‘this is what love feels like’. So that must be it, right?” 

Law ceased his ranting abruptly as a sniffle sounded in the darkness. He watched Luffy’s face more closely, only to watch it turn away and rise above him as the smaller captain moved to sit upright. Law blinked, Luffy sniffled. 

“Oh, shit,” Law bolted upright, nearly bumping into the other in the darkness. “Are you crying?” 

“No, no, it’s fine. They’re happy tears.” 

The surgeon tried to swallow and nearly choked. He allowed a hand to rest on Luffy’s shoulder as his mind raced to understand the situation. Why would such a statement surprise him? Luffy was one of the easiest people to get along with, especially among pirates. There was not a single part of the strawhat’s personality that turned people away from him. Even the Navy was partially swayed on occasion to allow him and his crew to carry on with their business only because of the nature of their captain. 

“Uh-” 

“I’m just … really glad to hear that.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was for a trade with a wonderful mutual on Twitter! This is sloppy in my opinion, but I'm glad I'm finally finishing writing some things. I love these two and I hope that I did this sweet little relationship some form of justice.


End file.
